Tuesday, 10 April 2012

Glass Fusing Designs

Fused glass is the art of melting glass together in a planned (or random, if you wish) way to create something new out of the raw materials that you started with. The idea is pretty basic - you melt glass together. The options, though, that one has are limitless. You can make jewelry, beads, plates, wall art, bowls, and a million other things.
In order to get started you need glass, a kiln, and molds. Once the kiln is heated to the proper temperature, arrange the glass on top of the mold in the manner you wish and let it melt. If the glass heats or cools too fast, it will break. Monitoring the kiln during this process is extremely important. As soon as the glass cools, you now have your newest creation!

Making jewelry such as pendants and beads is one of the most popular glass fusing techniques. In order to create unique pendants, you must have unique molds. Since molds are usually made from ceramic or metal, they can be difficult to create on your own, but there are many places around the web that carry many different options. When the glass is in its molten state, you can reach in the kiln (carefully!) and swirl the molten glass to create new designs.